Tourism

Balearics satisfaction with Brussels plan to reactivate tourism

Majorca hopeful that tourism can restart.

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma14/05/2020 07:50

President Armengol has welcomed the guidelines issued by the European Commission on Wednesday regarding the gradual reopening of borders and the reactivation of tourism. "The Balearics are prepared to receive tourists. We are a safe destination. Mobility has to be safe, and so this needs the support of the Spanish government and the EU in order to reactivate tourism, a key sector for the Balearic economy."

The president of the Majorca Hoteliers Federation, Maria Frontera, said that the commission's guidelines demonstrate "a firm commitment to restarting the tourism sector within the countries that make up the European Union". Echoing Armengol's words, she added that the Balearics are ready and are safe. Protocols are being developed for the whole of the tourism value chain, for which it will be "very necessary to provide personalised customer service before, during and after a stay". "We have all the health safety measures."

The European Commission's guidelines for the phased lifting of restrictions and re-establishment of freedom of movement along safe health corridors between countries have also been welcomed by the Exceltur alliance for tourism excellence, the president of which is Meliá's CEO, Gabriel Escarrer.

Exceltur described the commission's recommendations as a "very powerful breath of fresh air" that will enable a reactivation of tourism activity this summer in a manner that will be greater than had been predicted. Exceltur's vice-president, José Luis Zoreda, praised the EU's "political will" in identifying tourism as a strategic sector.